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Coursera Launches Self-Driving Cars Specialization from University of Toronto

January 30, 2019

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 30, 2019--Coursera, the world’s leading online learning platform, today launched a Self-Driving Cars Specialization created by the University of Toronto, a leading institution in robotics research and autonomous driving. The four-part online Specialization is the first-of-its-kind to provide learners with state-of-the-art knowledge and engineering to make safe autonomous vehicles a reality. The Specialization is designed for learners who already have some engineering experience, but little to no formal training in self-driving technologies.

The major players in today’s self-driving car market guard their technology and advancements closely, making it difficult to gain access to the crucial knowledge needed to enter the field. To democratize access to top quality self-driving car development knowledge, Coursera and the University of Toronto will offer a series of advanced, hands-on simulation and programming assignments at an industry-leading price of $79 per month.

“Self-driving cars will reshape our cities and our lives, in the process creating tens of thousands of new jobs for those who have the right skills,” said Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera. “We’re excited to partner with the University of Toronto, a top-ranked leader in autonomous vehicle research, to train the next generation of engineers who will bring safe, autonomous vehicles to public roads.”

World-renowned experts, Professor Steven Waslander and Professor Jonathan Kelly from the University of Toronto, teach the Specialization based on 30 years of experience and pioneering techniques in autonomous robotics research. Learners enrolled in the Specialization will also learn directly from industry experts from leading companies like Oxbotica and Zoox.

“Self-driving cars have the potential to increase road safety, lead to more efficient use of roadways and vehicles, and even reduce pollution,” said Jonathan Kelly, Assistant Professor, University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies. “I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a more challenging engineering problem than designing robust self-driving cars. But that challenge is very exciting. It forces us to think about new ways of doing things. And the more people we have doing it, the greater our chances of success.”

The Specialization provides a detailed understanding of the architecture and components of a self-driving car software stack, methods for static and dynamic object detection including processing real-time data from sensors, estimating a car’s location, and issuing commands for vehicle control. By the end of the four-course Specialization, students will be able to drive a virtual car around a simulated racetrack.

Coursera was founded by Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng with a vision of providing life-transforming learning experiences to anyone, anywhere. It is the now world’s largest online learning platform for higher education. 170 of the world’s top universities and industry educators partner with Coursera to offer courses, Specializations, and degrees that empower over 37 million learners around the world to achieve their career goals. Over 1,500 companies trust the company’s enterprise platform, Coursera for Business, to transform their talent. Coursera is backed by leading venture capital firms such as Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, New Enterprise Associates, GSV Capital, and Learn Capital.